BRITISH policemen visiting Greece to help tackle binge drinking problems yesterday blamed a fly-on-the-wall TV documentary for an increase in drunken behaviour at the Greek resort of Faliraki.

Blackpool-based officers Superintendent Andy Rhodes and Inspector John Donnelly flew to the holiday island of Rhodes on Friday night to liaise with Greek authorities after a British man was stabbed to death in a bar brawl and a woman jailed for baring her breasts.

Mr Rhodes, 38, said the documentary, Club Reps, had signalled to young people that "they could come to Faliraki and do what they want".

"It has increased trade but brought a problem in terms of standards of behaviour," he said.

Mr Rhodes also said "aggressive" drinks promotions, bar crawls of up to 500 people and inadequate policing, at what was once a quiet fishing village, have fuelled bad behaviour.

"I would apportion quite a lot of blame to Club Reps. It's good TV, people like watching it, but there's a lot of young people here who have been influenced by it."

The documentary, which featured the alcohol-fuelled antics of holiday-makers Becky Assemakis, 20, and Rachael Williams, 22, was screened on ITV, in January 2002.

"It's often the first holiday abroad for these young people," said Mr Rhodes.

"They are vulnerable, they may not be binge drinkers at home, a shot here is three times the measure in the UK, and, if they get involved in binge drinking, incidents are bound to happen."

The Lancashire officers met Chief of Faliraki police, Captain Themis Kalamatas, to discuss operation Nightsafe, launched in Blackpool earlier this year, which has proved successful in curbing loutish behaviour at the seaside resort.

Mr Rhodes said the key to tackling problems is stopping the "aggressive marketing of drinks promotions" and bar crawls.

"Independent tour operators sprung up which were taking 400 or 500 people on bar crawls," he said.